Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
The U.S. Army said Wednesday that the Hercules armored vehicle carrying the four U.S. soldiers who went missing during a training exercise in Lithuania had been found submerged in a body of water. It said recovery efforts were underway by U.S. Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies.
The soldiers, all part of 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
NATO on Wednesday clarified comments that Secretary-General Mark Rutte made earlier in the day, when he suggested the soldiers had died, even though the U.S. Army said their fate was not yet confirmed.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on X. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
During a trip to Warsaw, Rutte told reporters that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers while he was delivering a lecture, and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States.
“This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones,” Rutte said in Warsaw.
The U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and Lithuanian law enforcement were searching for the soldiers Wednesday morning, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
The soldiers were undergoing training “at the time of the incident,” the Army said in a statement. The training site is the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area near Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania.
The four soldiers, as well as one tracked vehicle, were first reported missing Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement from the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general, said in the U.S. Army’s statement.
“It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nikki Wentling is a senior editor at Military Times. She’s reported on veterans and military communities for nearly a decade and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
Discover more from Cave News Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Discussion about this post